When the ABC visited on a mid-week morning there were people around and the cafes that were opened appeared at least half full, but the retail outlets were largely empty and there were still a number of vacant shops on the street.

Clothing boutique owner Tracy Hill said foot traffic has dropped markedly in the five years since she set up the shop, and she planned to move when her lease is up next year.

"At night-time it is booming here for the restaurant trade," she said.

"We have thought about staying open later to catch that but do people really want to buy clothes on a night out?"

Her store sits in the middle section of the strip, flanked by a fast food outlet and a yoghurt shop, and facing a vacant lot.

"We might be in the wrong spot; the street is kind of segmented, with more and more food places and retail split up," she said.

Just down the road, bookshop owner Jane Seaton echoes these concerns, and she was particularly concerned about the number of empty shops on the street.